mineral
Quartz
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Clear, white, gray, or yellowish due to impurities; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Trigonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Clear, white, gray, or yellowish due to impurities
- Luster
- Vitreous (glassy)
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Clear, white, gray, or yellowish due to impurities; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Trigonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Forms in a wide variety of geological environments, commonly precipitating from hydrothermal solutions, crystallizing from magma in igneous rocks, or accumulating as detrital grains in sedimentary rocks.
Uses & applications
Used in electronics (oscillators), manufacturing of glass, ceramics, abrasive materials, and as gemstones or mineral specimens in jewelry and crystal collecting.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of the most abundant and widely distributed minerals on the Earth's surface, forming a major component of many rock types.
Field identification & locations
Easily identifiable in the field by its high hardness (scratches glass), lack of cleavage, and distinct conchoidal fracture. Found globally.
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Limonite / Goethite (Iron Ore Mineral nodule)
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Septarian Pebble
Septarian nodule / Concretion
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Schist
Schist
Metamorphic
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)
Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
mineral